nicola restaurant & bar

special occasions. we love this restaurant for special occasions but we were just thrilled with our recent special new years eve dinner here.we had special family and friends from out of town that we brought with us(it was a birthday celebration also) and our food ,service,and general ambiance was even more than outstanding this time.while themenufor special holidays is not the fullmenuoffering the selection was excellent and everyone had lots to choose from-you could do the traditional italian lasagna(lovely and plentiful)or order steak, seafood, veal, etc...we were so pleased that we chose this lovely restaurant for this special holiday!

buonissimo. the chef's three course festa regionale and wine paring were exceptional.great atmosphere and incredible food!


-----14 may, 2013-----

fabulous. the staff is outstanding-- if you have ever lived in italy, this comes close. you book a table for 6:30 and it is yours for the night. we were still there at 10:45 and did not feel pressured to leave. themenuselections are extensive. i had sword fish special in putanesca sauce with handmade fish ravioli and broccoli rabe. excellent! but the best part of my meal was the mussels appetizer. i lived in italy for 3 years and ate hundreds of bowls of mussels. these were as good if not better -- the sauce was perfect. the mussels were served with crostini, which i tried to use to sop up the sauce. when this was not successful i reached for the bread basket to use the fresh bread to do the same thing. fabulous! we will return again and again.

great night!. we went in for their holiday selectedmenuand it was beyond expectations! the food was incredible, and the place was packed. overall a delicious and fun night.

my family and i have been going here the past few weeks and they never cease to amaze me. the food is made to perfection and the service is extraordinaire. ellen is an amazing server and we always request to sit in her section. the best part is that if you don't see something on theirmenuthat jumps at you, although i'm not sure how you can't, then they will make you whatever you want. although it is a nicer atmosphere we have never felt uncomfortable taking our 2 year old. the owners make an effort to greet every customer and go out of their way to make your experience as best as possible. i can not speak better words for nicola.

excellent italian. don't let the strip mall exterior fool you, there's a beautiful restaurant inside. while themenuhas a variety of dishes that will appeal to everyone, the chef's construction of the dishes is unlike almost any other italian restaurant in columbus. after a very long decision making process, we first ordered the bruscetta and the mista salad. the salad was tasy, if a little earthy. the bruscetta was just 3 preapared pieces but very delicious. next, we ordered the ravioli stella and capesante alla saltibocca (prosciutto wrapped scallopps and rissoto). the presentation of these two plates was amazing. 6 giant ravioli and a 4 enormous scallops. the scallops rested atop a heap of rissoto with a muddled drizzle of basil and a streak of balsamic around the edge of the plate. both delicious, we moved on to dessert. we ordered diplomattica which was creamy, flaky and sweet, not like chocolate but almost like a cheese. for under 100 dollars we had a wonderful experience.

it can't get much better than this!. authentic italian food, complete with homemade pasta, traditional italian creations and the chef's eclectic combinations , a warm, inviting atmosphere, great service, and the owner welcoming everyone herself. sunday brunch complete with mimosas. we finally found what we were looking for and we didn't have to look far. it's right here in upper arlington. we have been there already five times in the past two months and we keep going. themenuis large and everything is great! keep it coming!

fantastick food for a very fair price!. i took my girlfriend out for dinner tonight to nicola. i saw the now open sign on the corner of reed and henderson and thought, this would be a nice place to take her. we arrived around 7:30pm and didnt have a reservation. the hostess was so plesant, she took us to a seat right away. we found a great italian wine, (mallbeck i think its spelled right) and had some delicious calimari. we both ordered a side salad. then it was time to decide on a main course. it was a tough decision, the entiremenulooked wonderful! my girlfriend got the spagetti and meatballs, and i went for the sausage and mushroom rositto. it was so wonderful! from begining to end it was absolutely fantastick! we will deffinatly be dining there many more times in the future!

themenudefinitely speaks to my european roots! this restaurant is such a great addition to the ua area!